Quick-break electric switch.



No. 801,288. PATENTBD OCT. 10, 1905.

H, o. WIRT.

QUICK BREAK ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAB..5,1902

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(Dibnesses: lnvenhor'z Herbert COMM),

by z y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT O. VVIRT, OF SOHENEOTADY, NEW YORK, ASSlUrNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1905.

Application filed March 5, 1902. 8erial No. 96,749.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be. it known that I, HERBERT O. \VIRT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Quick- Break Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to quick-break electric switches and the supporting-bases therefor; and its object is to provide a simple and effective quick-break switch which may be used with plug cutouts and in connection with an insulating-base which shall serve as a support for one or more such switches and its corresponding plug cut-out.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan of the same with one plug cut-out in position.

As shown, my invention comprises the short flat metal blades 2 2, pivoted at one end upon bolts 3, carried by the clips 4 at one end of the base. Pivoted upon the bolts 3 are also the U-shaped brackets 5, straddling the blades and the upper end of the clips 4, each carrying an integral stop projection 6, adapted to engage the edge of its corresponding blade. The bridge parts 7 of brackets 5 are located a short distance away from the edges of the blades in order to permit the brackets to be moved a certain amount upon their pivots 3 before coming in contact with the rear ends 8 of said blades. The brackets 5 are connected to each other by a rigid block 9 of insulation held thereto by means of suitable screws 10. An actuating-handle 11 and an arm 12 are securely fastened to the block 9, and to the free end of said arm 12 a s ring 13 is connected. The free ends of the b ades 2 are loosely connected to each other by the bar 14 of insulating material, and to the mid dle point of said bar 14 the spring 13 is at tached. The circuit is closed by bringing the free ends of blades 2 into engagement with contact-clips 15, comprising strips of flat metal bent at their middle to receive transversely thereto the ends of connectingstrips 16 of flat metal and having their ends brought into adjacent parallel planes, between which the respective blades are adapted to pass and make contact therewith. The front ends of connecting-strips 16 are bent outwardly, forming stops 24 for the free ends of the blades, while the opposite ends of strips 16 connect with the central contacts 17 of the fuse-plugs. The other contacts of said plugs consist of the threaded sleeves 18, which are provided with flanges 19 at their inner ends, and engaging with these flanges 19 are the eye-headed binder-strips 20, carrying at their outer ends the screws 21 for en gaging the line-wires. The clips 4, which carry the pivot-bolts 3, are connected to binder-strips 22, having screws 23 for engaging the linewires. The base 25 is of porcelain or other suitable insulating material,and in order to insure the various connected parts from arcing I provide recesses in said base 25, wherein the several parts of my device may be inserted and substantially inclosed by the walls of insulation about said recesses.

As will be seen in the drawings, the base 25 is provided at one end with the recesses 26 for the reception of the binder-strips 22 and the bottom ends of the clips 4, which are securely held therein and in contact with each other by the screws 27 entering from the back of the base 25 and after passing through a hole in one of the said pieces engage tapped threads in the other 01 said pieces. Other recesses 28 are provided in said base 25 at a point substantially midway between its ends for the reception of the contact-strips 15 and their connecting-strips 16, which are secured therein and in contact with each other by screws 29. The back side of the base 25 is provided with recesses 30, which communicate with recesses 28, and into these recesses the connecting-strips 16 are led from recesses 28 on the opposite side of the base 25. Circular recesses 31 are formed on the front side of the base between recesses 28 and the end of the base for the reception of the plug cutouts and their contacts and integral projections or ribs 82, extending out from the front face of the base, form continuations to the walls of these circular recesses. Extending from recesses 31 to the end of the base are re cesses 33 for the reception of the binding strips 20. Between the large eye end of strip 20 within the shell-contact 18 and the center contacts 17 of each plug cut-out is a washer 34, of mica or other insulating material, and a single bolt 35, of which contact 17 is the head, passes through said washer 34 and the base 25 and engages a tapped hole in connectingstrip 16 and operates to secure all of said parts, the binding-strips 20, and the flange 19 of the shell-contact in place in each of the respective circular recesses 31. The plug cut-out 36 may be the well-known Edison plug and need not be here described.

l/Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination of a base, a switch and cut-out mounted in recesses in one face thereof, and a single-piece oonnectingstrip between a contact of said switch and a contact of said cut-out passing through said base.

2. Thecombination of a base provided with communicating recesses in its opposite faces, a switch and a cut-out mounted in recesses in one face of said base, and a singlepiece connecting-strip between a contact of said switch and a contact of said cut-out extending through said connecting-recesses.

3. The combination of a base having a circular recess in its front face, contacts for a plug cut-out located in said recess, a switch mounted in recesses in the front face of said base, a metallic strip extending from the contact of said switch to the rear of said base, and a single-piece metallic connection passing through said base and connecting said metallic strip with one of the contacts of the plug cut-out.

4. The combination of a base having a circular recess in its front face, a circular rib or projection forming an extension of the walls of said recess, contacts for a plug cut-out located in said recess, a switch mounted in. recesses in the front face of said base and having its contact connected to one of the contacts of said cut-out by a single metallic connection.

5. The combination with a base having three recesses formed in its face, one of which is provided with a peripheral rib or projection, contacts for a plug cut-out located in the latter recess, a switch having its contactclip and hinge-support respectively arranged in the other recesses, and a conductor extending from the contact-clip through. the base to one of the plug-cut-out (JOHtZLCtS.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 3d day of March, 1902.

HERBERT C. WIRT.

Witnesses BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORFORD. 

